REMEMBERING
HOWARD VAN MARTIN

By Joe C. Fling

Howard Van Martin was brought to my attention by veterans of World War II at a 50th anniversary observance of the end of World War II held in September, 1995 by a group called Help Eagle Lake Remember our Servicemen and women (H.E.R.0.S.) headed up by Jeff Frnka, whose father Fred R. Frnka was of course a veteran and instrumental in sustaining the memory of those who served. At the end of my speech, several veterans said that I had left out Howard Van Martin.

What I learned about Martin is that his family moved into Eagle Lake from Vidor in 1941. He completed his junior year in high school at Eagle Lake High School in the Spring of 1942. Skipping his senior year, Martin got a job at the Beaumont shipyards. Later going into the army, he served with General George S. Patton, Jr’s U.S. Third Army and was killed in the spring of 1945.